Improvement in iron ship-building



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL HOLMES AND WILLIAM M. BOWRON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.

IMPROVEMENT IN IRQN SHIP-BUILDING.-

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,789, dated June 10, 1873; application filed March 27, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL HoLMEs and WILLIAM Moss BOWRON, both formerly of Stockton-on-Tees, county of Durham, England, but now residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in the Construction of Iron Vessels, of which 7 the following is a specification:

The object of our invention is to construct. iron vessels In a more permanent and substantial manner than heretofore, without additional Weight of -metal, and this object we attain by discarding the usual angle-iron 0r T-iron transverse ribs, and employing the longitudinally-flanged plates shown in the accompanying drawing, which represents a partial mid-ship section of an iron vessel built according to our invention.

The entire shell of the vessel is composed of longitudinal plates A, having flanges formed on two edges, as shown. The flanges of the adjoining plates may be riveted together, but we prefer to weld them by means of apparatus for which we have made a separate application for a Patent. The united flanges of the plates form a series of ribs arranged in a longitudinal direction, which enables them to present a much more eiflcient resistance to the strains to which the vessel is subjected than the usual transverse ribs of angle or T-iron. Where the vessel has to be strengthened toward the keel, longitudinal ribs 1) b may be confined between and secured to the flanges of the plates, and, whenever the vessel demands, asubstantial longitudinal girder, B. The upper and lower plates of this girder may be secured between or at either side of the flanges of the plates A, as

shown in the drawing, in which the method \Vitnesses: WM. A. STEEL, HUBERT HOWSON. 

